In recent years, a disk video camera apparatus has been developed that can record moving pictures encoded in MPEG2 format onto DVD-standard disk media as well as reproduce the DVD. In such a disk video camera apparatus, moving pictures from the start of recording to a pause therein are stored as a single video clip in a single file. Thus, a plurality of video clip files are created on a disk, and the recorded moving pictures can be reproduced by displaying and selecting an index screen of the video clip or by continuous reproduction. A video camera of such type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-314916.
FIG. 14 illustrates the flow of signals during image sensing in a conventional disk video camera apparatus.
Reference numeral 1401 designates the camera optical system, which focuses a subject image onto an image sensing element 1402 at an appropriate focal length and exposure by using a camera controller 1405 to control driving of the focus and the aperture (f-stop). The image sensing element 1402 converts light from the optical system 1401 into electrical signals using sensors comprised of CCD, CMOS or the like. Reference numeral 1403 designates a signal processing circuit, which generates digital video data after converting the electrical signals from the image sensing element 1402 from analog to digital form (A/D conversion). Reference numeral 1404 designates a video encoding circuit, which codes the digital video data to compress. Reference numeral 1407 designates a file generator circuit, which generates a moving picture data file from the coded digital video data. Reference numeral 1408 designates an error correction coding circuit, which adds parity data for performing error correction of the digital video data. Reference numeral 1409 designates a data modulation circuit, which performs such modulation coding for the purpose of recording digital video data onto a storage medium as, for example, (1, 7) Run-Length Limited (RLL) and trellis-code modulation. A magnetic modulation driver 1410 drives a magnetic head 1411 in response to input signals and imparts a magnetic field to the storage medium 1413. An optical pickup 1412 directs a laser beam for recording onto the storage medium 1413 in response to input signals. A drive controller 1416 controls the optical pick-up 1412 and a motor 1414 by outputting signals to a drive servo circuit 1415 in response to requests from a system controller 1417 so as to control the overall operation of the disk drive.
In a conventional disk video camera apparatus like that described above, editing of a video clip, which involves cutting and deleting parts of the video clip (which is a moving picture data file) is accomplished by cutting and partially deleting the video clip file itself recorded as a MPEG2 (Motion Picture Expert Group, standard 2) stream. As a result, there is no reversibility, and moreover, because the stream data itself must be rewritten in audio after-recording editing and the like, processing takes time. In addition, although a thumbnail display capability is also provided through reduced-size display screens of moving picture data, the thumbnail designations are not inherited if the moving picture file is copied, and thus the capability is less than satisfactory.